Opinion: Celtic must re-invest monster fee back into search for fan unifying appointment

Celtic have to cast their net far and wide in search of a new permanent manager, even if that process ultimately results in the appointment of Neil Lennon.

It was reported yesterday that the club received a massive £9m compensation fee for the departure of Brendan Rodgers and his backroom staff.

That gives the Hoops serious breathing room and resources to attract a high quality, high profile manager that will again capture the imagination of the Celtic support in a similar manner to Rodgers.

When he arrived in 2016 it sparked a wave of positivity that provided the backdrop to enjoy an invincible domestic season.

The Celtic board need to try and capture that feeling of progress and ambition again and simply handing the job to Neil Lennon without the appropriate process risks alienating thousands of supporters.

There’s no doubt that if Lennon lands a treble by the end of May that he will be the leading candidate and it may well be difficult to say goodbye to the club icon, but there can be little sentimentality when deciding the long-term future of the club.

Fans won’t accept a cheap option like Ronny Deila and the Celtic board likely know that they risk fans turning their back on attending matches once again if they let standards slip. People will vote with their feet, rightly or wrongly.

Now that the £9m compensation fee is out in the public domain, there will be serious expectation that the club push the boat out for the next manager, it’s now on the decision makers at Celtic Park to be seen doing that.